US sanctions blocking entry of direly Russian fertilizers to Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Feb 2023 23:35
2 Shares

Russia is expecting that the US takes the necessary steps to unblock the flow of fertilizers to the country since the majority of Syrian agricultural lands are under US occupation, the official noted.

Undated photo of Lattakia port, Syrian (Fadi Shahin / Wiki Commons)

The Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Tuesday that humanitarian efforts to deliver direly needed Russian fertilizers to Syria have been hindered by US-led sanctions on the country.

"Because of the American Caeser Act, even with the UN’s efforts in Damascus, humanitarian supplies of Russian fertilizer can’t be carried out from fertilizers that are impounded in EU ports," Polyanskiy said before the Security Council members.

Russia is expecting the US takes the necessary steps to unblock the flow of fertilizers to the country since the majority of Syrian agricultural lands are under US occupation, the official noted.

Earlier in the day, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen met in Moscow to discuss matters related to mobilizing international aid to Damascus and assist it with the required efforts to deal with the aftermath of the recent powerful earthquake.

Lavrov stressed the necessity to coordinate efforts of the UN specialized agencies with Damascus to ensure that Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are not violated and that the principles for humanitarian coordination in accordance with the UN General Assembly's resolution 46/182 are respected.

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey has amounted to more than 50,000 deaths: 5,951 in Syria and 44,374 in Turkey.